About us
Thanks for visiting our website. Here are the topics of our work and what you can benefit from it:
Our Aims and Objectives:
Together with our international association Council of International Fellowship (C.I.F.) we want to contribute to peace and a better international understanding by means of exchange programs for professionals working in social affairs. Bringing people from different countries and cultures together and letting them share their experience plus the concept of lifelong learning is the core of the exchange programs. To make this unique offer for professionals with practical experience (midcareer-program) more known is an essential prime target of our association. Providing further education programs in the various areas of social and youthwork and finding the right applicants for international exchange programs are the main objectives of the international association. We try to support this as best as possible within our german association. If you are interested in participating in one of the exchange programs, please have a look at the pages CIF&CIP Programs and German CIF Program. These programs are in particular designed for people with professional experience. For students and persons with little experience we recommend to inquire with DAAD and IJAB.
Who we are:
CIF-Germany is a non-profit making association. Participants in exchange programs to the USA (CIP) founded it in 1960. Members of the association are former and potential participants in such international programs. In the beginning the program took place in Cleveland/Ohio only. Due to this expansion the original name "Cleveland International Fellowship" was changed into Council of International Fellowship.
At present we have about one hundred members. You can find the current board of directors on the page Organization.
What we do:
We promote the interest and the participation in the international programs, cooperate in the selection of german applicants and so far assisted in the execution of the german program (Internationales Studienprogramm). In case of interest we help in finding contacts to members who did participate in certain selected programs. There is a regular exchange of information with the - meanwhile quite numerous - CIF organisations in other countries (listed on the page Links & Contacts) in regard to their local programs. Staying abroad in such programs is not only a
contribution the the individual in professional and private aspects, the after-effects often are more important for the participant.
Quite important is the start with our own exchange program in the Stuttgart area for professionals from all over the world. It is not only the actual staying abroad, which is beneficial for the individual in professional and private aspects, the after-effects resp. the sustainability of participating in such a program are quite often farther reaching. Meanwhile the exact dimensions of this sustainability are subject of research projects.
Every second year an international conference takes place addressing a relevant highlight, being organized by one of these countries (see Conferences).